Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector
Chapter 10 - 8: The Boiling Oil Ploy, The Traceless Fast Blade

Chapter 10: Chapter 8: The Boiling Oil Ploy, The Traceless Fast Blade

Fang Tao whipped his head around, stunned to see it was Chen Ye who had spoken.

He knew Chen Ye had Talent, but this kind of skill was built on years of accumulated practice. Chen Ye had only been in the trade for half a year; ’how much mastery could he possibly have?’

"Chen Ye, this is no time for games!"

"Don’t worry, Young Monarch, I know what I’m doing." Chen Ye gave him a reassuring look, then strode into the center of the arena and cupped his fist to the crowd in all four directions.

His appearance immediately sparked a wave of discussion.

"Who is this kid? Never seen him before!"

"Heh, has Fang Tao run out of men? Sending a greenhorn like this out to die?"

The young women from the Colorful Character Sect, however, watched with sparkling eyes.

The Chen Ye of today was tall and straight, with delicate features and a steady demeanor, forming a sharp contrast with the rough, boorish Martial World men around him.

Chen Ye turned a deaf ear to the discussions. He simply looked at the arrogant man opposite him and spoke.

"So, as long as I can do what you did and pull the coins out of this pot of oil, we win?"

"That’s right!" the man said, tilting his head back, his face full of disdain.

"Alright."

Chen Ye nodded, then did something that left everyone in the entire venue dumbfounded.

He pulled a handful of copper coins from his robes and, with a CLATTER, tossed them all into the pot of boiling oil!

Over a dozen copper coins sank to the bottom in an instant.

"Holy shit, this kid must be insane!"

"What is he trying to do?"

The entire crowd was in an uproar. Even Fang Tao’s heart leaped into his throat.

Yet Chen Ye’s expression remained unchanged. Under the astonished gazes of the man and everyone else, his eyes narrowed. He held his index and middle fingers together and, quick as lightning, plunged them into the boiling oil.

Immediately after, Chen Ye withdrew his hand, a copper coin slick with boiling oil held between his fingers.

With a CLINK, Chen Ye tossed the copper coin onto a nearby tray, where it landed with a crisp sound.

Before the crowd could recover from their shock, Chen Ye’s fingers, without a moment’s pause, plunged back in!

CLINK, CLINK, CLINK....

The crisp sounds blended into one another, so fast it was dazzling to watch.

In the blink of an eye, he had retrieved every single one of the copper coins from the bottom of the pot without missing a single one.

Looking at Chen Ye’s fingers, they were fair and slender. Far from being burned, they weren’t even red.

Everyone was stunned, including the man who had been so insufferably arrogant moments before. He now stood with his mouth agape, staring blankly at the pile of steaming copper coins on the tray as if he’d seen a ghost.

"You let me win," Chen Ye said with a cupped-fist salute, his expression as calm as still water.

"Excellent!"

Fang Tao was the first to rise, his face flush with excitement as he applauded and cheered.

He knew Chen Ye’s Talent was strong, but he never imagined it was *this* strong.

To be able to retrieve copper coins from boiling oil completely unscathed after only half a year... this feat alone surpassed many veterans who had been in the business for years.

Once he started, the crowd quickly joined in with applause and cheers.

The young women from the Colorful Character Sect were especially enthusiastic, even starting to whistle.

"Hey, little brother, this big sister has her eye on you!"

"Little brother, do you have a wife? If not, how about this big sister? I’m very good at taking care of people."

These women who roamed the Martial World as performers were all bold and uninhibited, so they spoke without any reservations, stopping just short of openly propositioning him.

Only Yang Ze’s face was dark, his eyes fixed on Chen Ye, his thoughts unreadable.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye had a pleasant surprise of his own.

Because just a moment ago, a system prompt had suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Skill: Skillful Hand lv7 → lv9]

Chen Ye was a bit surprised. He had only intended to help Fang Tao out of a bind and dampen his opponent’s spirit. He never expected that showing off in public would directly raise his Skillful Hand Skill by two levels.

’Not bad at all.’

Chen Ye’s face remained impassive. He cupped his fist to the crowd once more and prepared to leave the stage.

Just then, a cold voice came from behind him.

"Hold it!"

Chen Ye turned to see Yang Ze glaring at him, his face grim. A sense of vigilance rose in his heart.

’What is this guy up to?’

At the same time, Fang Tao shot to his feet, staring daggers at Yang Ze. "Yang Ze, what do you think you’re doing?" he said coldly. "Can’t afford to lose? Are you trying to go back on your word?"

The moment he finished speaking, the men behind Fang Tao all shot to their feet with a SWOOSH, silently glaring at Yang Ze’s group.

Not to be outdone, Yang Ze’s men also rose, facing off against Fang Tao’s group.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Just then, the elder from the Rong Character Sect who had been silent all this time suddenly coughed and said lightly, "Don’t make a scene for outsiders to laugh at."

At these words, both Fang Tao and Yang Ze took half a step back and nodded to the elder of their sect as a sign of respect.

After both sides sat back down, Yang Ze let out a sinister laugh. "Fang Shaojun, no need to be so anxious. I, Yang Ze, may not be some great hero, but I’m not the kind of petty man who goes back on his word. A loss is a loss, and I certainly accept it."

"I just think this little brother’s skills are remarkable, and it truly delights me. Therefore, I’d like to spar with him a little more."

"Don’t you worry. It’s purely a friendly exchange of skills. We won’t bet any territory, and no one’s feelings will be hurt. How about it, Fang Shaojun? Does that put your mind at ease?"

Fang Tao’s brow was tightly furrowed. He didn’t believe a single word of Yang Ze’s bullshit.

This guy was known for being narrow-minded and vengeful over the smallest slight. After losing so much face today, how could he possibly let it go? This so-called "spar" was clearly just an attempt to get his own back.

But Martial World People cared most about "face." Yang Ze had phrased it all so nicely. If Fang Tao were to forcibly stop it, it would make his side look scared and would also tarnish the reputation Chen Ye had just built.

For a moment, Fang Tao was caught between a rock and a hard place. He could only look to Chen Ye with a questioning gaze.

Chen Ye gave him a slight nod, indicating he had it under control. He then turned to Yang Ze and said, his tone neither servile nor overbearing, "And what does Yang Shaojun propose we compete in?"

A sharp glint flashed in Yang Ze’s eyes as he said in a low voice, "The Small Knife! I want to compete with you in knife skills."

Hearing this, another commotion went through the crowd. The members of the Rong Character Sect, in particular, all exchanged glances.

Everyone knew that Yang Ze’s nickname was Fast Blade Yang. His skill with the Small Knife could be described as masterful, and he was ranked among the best in the entire Rong Character Sect.

So this wasn’t a spar at all; it was a clear attempt to use his greatest strength to bully a newcomer!

Fang Tao’s expression changed. He was frantic with worry and was about to come up with an excuse to swap Chen Ye out, but to his surprise, Chen Ye had already accepted with crisp finality.

"Alright, I’ll compete with you in Fast Blade."

His voice was clear and resonant, crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

Everyone was stunned, including Fang Tao.

He stared at Chen Ye in disbelief, not understanding why he had agreed so readily.

Meanwhile, a flash of unconcealable glee flickered in Yang Ze’s eyes.

In his view, this Chen Ye was young and reckless. Daring to accept his Fast Blade challenge was simply asking for humiliation!

He knew that skill with the Small Knife was the result of long, hard grinding; there were no shortcuts. He had immersed himself in the art for over a decade. There was no way he could lose to a newcomer who had just joined the trade.

But how could he possibly know that, at this very moment, Chen Ye was inwardly ecstatic.

’Talk about getting what you wish for!’

The stunt of pulling money from boiling oil had just raised his Skillful Hand Skill by two levels, and now Yang Ze was serving up a Fast Blade challenge. If this wasn’t someone giving you a pillow when you’re sleepy, what was?

"Good! You’ve got guts!" Yang Ze praised loudly. Then, as if afraid Chen Ye would back out, he immediately ordered his men to clear the area.

The second competition officially began.

Yang Ze didn’t stand on ceremony, taking the initiative to demonstrate first.

With a flick of his wrist, a three-inch dagger fell into his palm. It danced and spun on his fingertips, its cold light glinting dazzlingly.

"Bravo!"

That opening move alone drew a round of cheers.

A self-satisfied smile played on Yang Ze’s lips. He then called out in a loud voice, "Someone, bring out the items I prepared!"

Two of his subordinates immediately carried out a wooden frame. On it rested a pig’s bladder, inflated taut. It was translucent and thin as a cicada’s wing, looking as if it would burst at the slightest touch.

Then, another person carefully used chopsticks to pick up an extremely thin slice of raw pork and gently placed it on the very top of the pig’s bladder.

The eyes of the entire audience were drawn to it.

Yang Ze took a deep breath, his gaze suddenly becoming incredibly sharp. Then, he flicked his wrist.

SHING!

A silver light flashed past, so fast its trajectory was almost invisible.

Looking at the pig’s bladder, it was still standing there, completely intact. But the thin slice of meat on top had been neatly split into two halves.

"What incredible Saber Technique!"

"Worthy of the name Fast Blade Yang, truly amazing!"

The entire venue erupted in thunderous applause. Even the elders from the other sects couldn’t help but nod in praise.

His control of force in that cut had truly reached the pinnacle of perfection. Otherwise, with the slightest mistake, the pig’s bladder would have undoubtedly burst.

Fang Tao’s face became extremely grave. He secretly regretted not stopping Chen Ye earlier. ’Great,’ he thought, ’the reputation he just built is about to be smashed to pieces.’

However, to everyone’s surprise, not only was there not the slightest trace of nervousness on Chen Ye’s face, but there was even a faint smile.

He didn’t look at the pig’s bladder, nor did he pay any mind to the smug expression on Yang Ze’s face. Instead, he turned his head, looked towards the Colorful Character Sect, and said with a beaming smile.

"Might I ask if any of you ladies would be willing to come on stage and help me with a small task?"